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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3- A. SCHMAGKERS. STREET RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 577,454. Patented Feb. 23, 1897.

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I I ITJ/VZTDR: 1 TDRNEW a car having my improvements thereon.

NITE TATES ATENT OFFICE.

ANTON SOHMAOKERS, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WM.

' B. ANDERSON, OF SAME PLACE.

STREET-RA! LWAY SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,454, dated February 23, 1897.

I Application filed November 19, 1896. Serial No. 612,712. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANTON SOHMACKERS, a citizen of the United States, residing atDayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Railway Switches; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in street-railway switches, and has a more particular reference to certain specific mechanism for shifting the switch-tongue, as hereinafter more fully described.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby the friction between the moving parts is reduced to a minimum.

In a detailed description of the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings, of which I Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of Fig. 2 is atop View of aswitch having the shifting mechanism connected therewith. Fig. 3 is a top view of a portion of a truck having the actuating mechanism mounted thereon. Fig.

4: is an enlarged section on the line a a of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged top view of the shifting mechanism with the top plate or cover removed. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view on the line Z7 b of Fig. 2. Figs. 7 and 8 are top views of a modified form of shifting mechanism which may be operated by the appliances on the car.

Throughout the specification similar reference-characters indicate corresponding parts.

1 and 2.designate the rails, between which is located the mechanism that has a connection with the switch-tongue 3. This mechanism consists of a cased, which is placed in a suitable opening between the rails, so that the exterior cover 5 will lie flush with the track 6. The case ethas openings 7 in the bottom, through which any water that might possibly enter the case may drain off. The entrance of water or other matter to the said case is, however, practically guarded against, as will hereinafter more fully appear. 8 designates a slide which is placed in said case and guided in its movements back and forth by rounded projections 9 on the inner sides of the case. 10 designates a bar which is secured in a longitudinal recess in said slide 8. One end of this bar projects beyond the slide 8 and is connected with the switch-tongue 3, a plate 11, and block 12. The plate 11 closes the opening 13 and has a sliding contact with the upper lid or cover 5. 15 is a plate secured to said cover and inclosing theplate 11. Thus all inlet for dirt or water on that side of the case is prevented.

l6 designates a tapering piece that is secured to the upper side of the bar 10. This projection 16 penetrates an opening in the cover 5 and moves to the limit of openings 17 and 18. The latter openings are inclosed by a plate 19, which fits over the projection 16, and is maintained in position by a block or cam 20, that is secured to the upper end of the piece 16. This block lies a little above the track and has its sides rounded substantially as is shown in Fig. 2, to avoid the least resistance to the contact of the actuating devices that cooperate for shifting the tongue. The cover has two flanges 21, that inclose the ends of the case. The block or cam 20 is actuated to shift the tongue in either direction by the following mechanism.

22 designates two bars that are pivoted to projections 23 on casting 24:, that is secured to the end of the truck, and are normally held away from the track by springs 26, substantially as shown in Fig. 1. 27 designates a chain that is attached to each of said bars and to upright winding-rods on the platform, which are operated by a crank or hand wheel in a well-known manner to take up the chain or to lower the bars to a position to trip the cam 20.

It is important that a suitable contact be obtained in order to avoid the bad results of too much friction. I therefore have provided each of the pivotal bars 22 with a lug or proj ection 28, to which are pivoted contactpieces 29 of a yielding nature. These pieces 29 are held outwardly in operative positions by compression -springs 30. By means of these devices the contact with the sliding or shifting bar is so easy that it is scarcely perceptible. The pivotal pieces 29 are essentially constructed and mounted with the straight i nncr surfaces 31 approximately in a plane with the outer surfaces 32 of the lugs 28 and the surfaces 33 parallel with the bars 22, so that the coil-sprin gs may be inclosed between said pieces 29 and the bars 22.

Referring to the mechanism illustrated in Figs. 7 and S, the devices for throwing the tongue consists of a rack 34, which has a 0011- nection with the switch-tongue, and meshes at its inner end with a toothed sector 35, that is rigid 011 a vertical shaft 36, which is suitably mounted in the casing. The upper or outer end of said shaft has rigidly mounted 011 it a segment-plate 37, which lies with its under side on or adjacent to a plate orcover 5.

Having fully described my invention I claiin 1. In a street-railway switch, the combination with a shifting bar having a connection with the switch-tongue, a cam lying flush with the track and having a connection with the said shifting bar, of bars fulerumed on the truck provided with lugs projecting from their lower ends, actuating-pieces pivoted to said lugs and adapted to trip the cam, the said pivotal pieces bein g so mounted that the planes of their inner sides will be on an angle to the bars, and the planes of their sides which are adjacent to the said bars will be parallel to said bars, and springs inclosed between the said pivotal pieces and bars, as herein shown and described.

2. In a street-railway switch, a casing having an open bottom, guide projections on the inner sides of said casing, a slide mounted in said casing, a shifting bar attached to said slide and havinga connection with the switchtongue, and a cam connected with said shifting bar, in combination wit-h bars having a pivotal attachment with the truck-frame and provided at their lower ends with tapering lugs that project inwardly, trip-pieces pivoted to said lugs, springs inclosed between said trip-pieces and the bars, and means for manipulating said bars, as herein shown and described.

3. In a street-railway switch, the combination with a switch-tongue, of a rack-bar having a connection with said tongue, a toothed sector meshing with said rack-bar, a segmentplate to move said toothed sector, bars having a pivotal connection with the truck, pivotal trip-pieces on the lower ends of said bars, springs inclosed between said trip-pieces and bars, and means for manipulating said bars to lower the trip-pieces to a position to actuate the said segment-plate, as herein shown and described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANTON SCl-IMAOKERS.

Vitnesses:

R. J. MCCARTY, A. J. FIORINI. 

